Python has become pretty big in scientific computing lately. It is a managed language, so you don't have to remember to free your memory. At the same time, it has packages for scientific and numerical computing (NumPy, SciPy), which gives you performance similar to compiled languages. Also, Python can be pretty easily integrated with C code.
Python is a very expressive language, making it easier to write and read than many traditional languages. It also resembles MATLAB in some ways, making it easier to use for scientists than, say, C++ or Fortran.
The University of Oslo has recently starting teaching Python as the default language for all science students outside the department of informatics (who still learn Java).
Simula Research Laboratory, which is heavily into scientific computing, partial differential equations etc., uses python extensively.